Oklahoma Introduces ‘Secret Shoppers’ to Help Regulate Medical Cannabis Industry

Under an Oklahoma state law taking effect this week, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) can now utilize “secret shoppers” in its effort to regulate the state’s medical cannabis industry, FOX25 reports. Specifically, the new law requires regulators to send at least 50 secret shoppers per year to licensed retailers to anonymously purchase medical cannabis products, and then have the products tested by a lab.

Rep. Josh West, who co-sponsored the bill, said the new law prioritizes the safety of Oklahomans by keeping potential bad actors in check. “Constituents, people in the industry, people outside of the industry, the average public, they wanted some checks and balances in place,” he said in the report.

“Consumer safety is the biggest part of it. And we want to ensure that we are keeping the bad actors out. And so it’s no different than what ABLE does when ABLE goes into a liquor store and ensures that they’re following the law.” — Rep. West, via FOX25

The bill (HB3971) was passed and signed into law in 2022 but didn’t take effect until the start of 2023.

The new law represents Oklahoma‘s latest strategy for cracking down on illegal cannabis operations in the state.

Cannabis regulators said in November they were seeking to revoke 165 medical cannabis cultivation licenses over the companies’ failure to post signage on their properties as required by state law, while the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics said in August that over the previous two years, officials shut down more than 800 unlawful cannabis farms.

State officials said last month that throughout their efforts to rein in the industry, the number of licensed medical cannabis cultivators in the state has dropped from about 9,400 in 2021 to about 3,200 at the end of 2023.